Apparatus for drying or heating material.



T. & F. COLEMAN.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING 0R HEATING MATERIAL.

APPL|cAT|o FILED 0:031, 1913.

Patented June 27, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1- T.v & F. COEEMAN.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING 0R HEATING MATERIAL. APPLlCATlON FILED 050.31,1913.

latente June 2 7, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- THOMAS COLEMAN AND FRANK COLEMAN, OF DERBY, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING 0R HEATING MATERIAL.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 11119, 27, 1916.

Application filed December 31, 1913. Serial No. 809,631.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, THOMAS COLEMAN and FRANKCOLEMAN, citizens of Great Britain, residing at Alfreton Road, Derby,county of Derby, England, manufacturers, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Apparatus for Drying or Heating Material; and wedo hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same.

This invention comprises improvements in the method and means for dryingand heating sand, grit or other materials. I

In drying many materials it is a common practice to arrange for thematerial to advance more or less slowly through a drying chamber inwhich it is exposed to hot gases arising from a grate or to heated air.With material of a finely divided nature such as sand, it is verydifficult to drive out the moisture as the particles pack so tightlytogether and althoughmeans for turning the material over and changingits position are known frequently such means have not so far beenefficient unless the material remains under treatment for a long time,and to permit this in an apparatus in which the material is regularlyprogressing necessitates a relatively large apparatus for the bulk ofmaterial treated. I

In our invention centrifugal force is utilized to cause the breaking upof the material so that all the small particles are eX- posed to thedrying and heating action of the hot gases or air.

The method employed enables us to use" much smaller apparatus havingregard to the bulk of material treated in a given time.

The method comprises submitting the material to the action of a rotatingmember in a heating or drying chamber and under the action ofcentrifugal force the material is thrown against a fixed surface orsurfaces and broken up in its component particles, being suitablycollected and delivered at an outlet or outlets. V I

On the drawings: Figure 1 is a sectional view of the apparatus. Fig. 2is a similar view showing a modification of the means for heating thechamber. grammatic view showing the method of heating the apparatusshown 1 at Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section view of thetop bearing for thedrive shaft, and also showing a bevel gear drive.

The apparatus shown on these drawings Fig. 3 is a dia-- is moreparticularly intended for treating sand, small chippings of stone andthe like but from this embodiment the application of the method to othermaterials will be apparent.

In the apparatus shown at Fig. 1 we arrange a plate or disk (4 for beingrotated at suitable speeds and arrange one or more, preferably severalannular outwardly inclined plates Z) thereon forming'portions ofinverted cones, the angle of which will be suited to the nature of thematerials being treated. The center of the plate or disk at has anaperture or apertures 0 to admit hot gases from a furnace d or otherheating provision arranged beneath the plate and a central disk 6 isarranged. above this aperture c and receives the sand or like materialfrom a suitable hopper or feeding device f. This central disk 0 issecured to, and rotates with the main rotating disk or plate 6.

Above the rotating disk or plate a, at a suitable distance is a fixedplate 9 with a series of rings or plates h depending from it andarranged so that they depend into the spaces between the upper parts ofthe inverted cones b on the rotating plate a. Thefixed plate is securedto a surrounding casing c' which incloses the apparatus and forms aheating chamber.

Around the outer edge of the rotating plate a a collecting trough j isarranged secured to the casing 2' and preferably projecting portions orwings I: on the rotating plate a sweep round in this trough to carry thematerial around to the'outlet opening or openings formed in the bottomof the trough. At such openings suitable collecting bins may bearranged.

The rotating plate may be supported by a pendant shaft Z arrangedinsuitable bearirigs such as m 91. supported from the fixed p ate.

It ispreferable that the central disk 6 should be secured to the end ofthe shaft Z and protect the same from the hot gases rising from thefurnace. The main plate a may be connected to the disk 6 by such meansas the cross plates 0 shown which permit the passage of the hot gasesinto the chamber. Suitable outlets for the escape of the gases andmoisture are provided such as at p.

I In use,as the plate a is rotated the sand orother material is fed inand drops into the disk 6, being rapidly thrown off under the influenceof centrifugal force, and whirled against the surrounding fixed plate,which breaks it up and the particles fall into the first cone or ring ofthe plate a. The material rapidly climbs up this incline and is thrownagainst the second fixed plate, and so on according to the number ofrotating cones or rings and fixed plates provided. Finally the materialis collected in the trough j and is swept around by the wings Z; to theoutlet opening or openings and to j the collecting bin.

The action of the apparatus is exceedingly rapid, material put in beingdelivered at the outlet quite dry and heated to a considerable degreesuch as 350 to 500 Fah. in a few seconds. Consequently it is possible todeal with a considerable quantity of material in a relatively shorttime.

With a machine of the type shown a speed of 95 revolutions per minutegave very satisfactory results.

It is preferred that the inclination of the plates 5 forming the conesof the rotating plate a should becomes steeper toward the exterior ofthe casing; the angles shown on the drawing'appear satisfactory in use.

As shown at Fig. 2 the plates h of the fixed plate 9 may be inclined andthe inclination of these may vary, the outer plates being less steepthan those nearer the center. The object of such inclined fixed platesis so that when the material impinges against a plate and breaks up itis scattered over the surface of the plate, which is very hot, and theparticles roll down the hot plate into the next cone instead of fallingaway from the plate as they may U do with vertical plates.

lVe may provide fingers or scrapers on the plates such as at Q toprevent very wet material from caking on any of the plates.

In either example we may use a fan or blower for forcing or drawing airor gases through the apparatus. In Fig. 2 a suction fan 7 is shown forthis purpose.

Instead of arranging the furnace below the apparatus as at Fig. l, thegases may be led in through the outer casing 2' as at Fig. 2. Fig. 3shows a portable arrangement of the apparatus with the furnace dexternal to the apparatus. Instead of a grate an a1r .heater may be usedand the heated air may be drawn or forced into the apparatus.

That we claim then is:

1. An apparatus for treating road making material comprising incombination, a casing, a substantially horizontal rotatable platemounted within said casing and having a series of bafiie plates thereon,fixed bafiie plates arranged to cooperate with said first mentionedbattles, and means for circulating heated gas through said casing, saidcasing having at least two apertures therein for admitting anddischarging said gas and one of said apertures being adjacent thevertical axis of said plate.

:2. An apparatus for treating road making material comprising incombination, a casing, a substantially horizontal rotatable platemounted within said casing and having a series of baflie plates thereon,fixed bafiie plates arranged to cooperate with said first mentionedbattles, and means for circulating heated gas through said casing, saidcasing having at least two apertures therein for admitting anddischarging said gas and one of said apertures being adjacent thevertical axis of said plate, said fixed bafiles depending from the topof the casing and being in contact therewith along their entire lengthsso as to prevent passages of gas above the fixed baffles.

8. An apparatus for treating road making material comprising incombination, a casing, a substantially horizontal plate mounted torotate in said casing and having baflles thereon, fixed batfles carriedby said casing above said plate and arranged to cooperate with saidfirst mentioned baffies, and means for circulating heated gas throughsaid casing, said casing, revolving plate and battles being so arrangedthat the entire volume of gas passes between the lower ends of saidfixed baffles and said plates.

4. The combination in an apparatus for drying or heating material, of anannular inclosed casing having an inlet at one side thereof and anoutlet near the center thereof, a suction fan adapted to Withdraw theair from said casing through said outlet, an annular rotary platecentrally mounted in said casing, a vertical rotatable shaft adapted torotate said annular rotary plate, a disk secured to said vertical shaftabove said plate, a hopper adapted to feed onto said disk, a series ofannular plates projecting upwardly from said annular rotary plate, saidupwardly projecting plates each meeting the said annular rotary plate atdifierent angles, a series of fixed plates depending from the top ofsaid casing and inwardly inclined, said plates projecting into thespaces between the upwardly projecting annular plates and each dependingplate lying at a greater angle to the top of said casing than the nextsucceeding one as they project toward the center, means adapted torotate said annular rotary plate, means adapted to remove the materialfrom said casing, and means adapted to supply heat to said casing.

5. An apparatus for treating road making material comprising incombination, a casing, a substantially horizontal plate mounted torotate in said casing and having baffles thereon, fixed bafiies carriedby said casing above said plate and arranged to cooperate with saidfirst mentioned baffles, and means for circulating heated gas throughsaid casing, said casing, revolving plate and of the fixed baffles beingsuccessively greater 1.9 baflles being so arranged that the entire asthey are farther removed from the axis. volume of gas passes between thelower ends In testimony whereof we afiix our signaof said fixed battlesand the said plates, all is tures in presence of two witnesses.

of said baflles having an outward inclination THOMAS COLEMAN. from theaxis of the revolving plate the FRANK COLEMAN. angles of the bafiles onthe revolving plate WVitnesses: I

being successively smaller as they approach GEO. R. EDDowEs,

the outer edge of the plate, and the angles 77 W. H! BLOCKRIDGE.

copies of this potent my be obtained to: flve cents eaehaby addressingthe "Commissioner of intents, Wuhiniton, D. 0.

